Staff Spotlight, Penny Wilson
Park Ranger, Penny Wilson
Fort Cooper State Park
Penny Wilson is a Florida native, born and raised in Inverness. She has always loved nature, hiking, kayaking and camping, and that love for nature and the outdoors led her to become a park ranger. Today she enjoys learning about Fort Cooper State Park and its history.
As the only full-time ranger at Fort Cooper State Park, Penny wears many hats. She functions as the volunteer coordinator, park interpretive chairperson, Lake Watch sampler, and helps to eradicate exotic invasive plants as well as being a part of the park’s prescribed fire team. She also runs the park’s popular interpretive programming, including bat viewing, monthly nature hikes, geocaching for beginners and breakfast with a ranger.
Her favorite aspect of the job is interacting with the visitors and helping them get the most out of their experience at Fort Cooper. She is very knowledgeable and strives to provide excellent customer service, taking great pride in keeping the park clean. Her favorite part of the park is the Dogwood Trail and Coot Marsh because of the wildlife, birds and serenity. Penny loves her job and is always friendly and approachable. She hopes that she will see you soon at Fort Cooper State Park!